Bone remodeling consists of two stages: resorption, when cells called osteoclasts dissolve old bone, creating small cavities; and bone formation, or remodeling, when cells called osteoblasts build new bone by filling those cavities with calcium.

Patients randomly allocated receive standard chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy, either with or without the addition of Zometa, a drug that works by inhibiting the cells that break down bone, called osteoclasts.